—Finishes are applied to wood surfaces (1) that the wood may be preserved, (2) that the appearance may be enhanced.
Finishing materials may be classed under one or the other of the following: Filler, stain, wax, varnish, oil, paint. These materials may be used singly upon a piece of wood or they may be combined in various ways to produce results desired.
148. Brushes.
—Good brushes are made of bristles of the wild boar of Russia and China. These bristles are set in cement and are firmly bound by being wrapped with wire in round brushes or enclosed in metal in flat brushes. [Fig. 237].
Fig. 237.
Fig. 238.
A large brush, called a duster, is used for removing dust or loose dirt from the wood, [Fig. 238]. Small brushes, used for tracing, usually have chiseled edges, [Fig. 239].
Bristle brushes are expensive and should be well cared for. Brushes that have been used in shellac and are not soon to be used again should be cleaned by rinsing them thoroughly in a cup of alcohol. This alcohol may be used later for thinning shellac.